airBaltic claims flag carrier role with new Estonia flag A220

airBaltic already had a flag-liveried Airbus A220. This one was unveiled not long ago to celebrate 100 years of Latvian independence.

And from today it has a second A220 wrapped in national colours, in this case not Latvia’s but those of the Estonian flag.

Besides the visual interest that this type of special liveries generate, this move, and its timing (by chance or by design?) is quite significative. airBaltic is already the largest carrier in the Estonian market and has three aircraft permanently based at is capital city, Tallinn.

With the announcement earlier this week, that Estonia’s national carrier Nordica is abandoning the scheduled flight market to focus on ACMI operations. Nordica, that has Polish airline LOT as a partner, had been already been providing capacity to third party operators. The Estonian government prompted the creation of Nordica as a flag carrier shortly after the collapse of Estonian Air, the country’s previous national airline.

By painting an aircraft in Estonian colours, plus naming the aircraft after Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, airBaltic highlights its position as the de facto national carrier in Estonia as well (in addition to its undisputed position in Latvia)